assume vivid astro focus, àngeles veloces arcanos fugaces, 2014, Roller disco installation at
Faena Art Center, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Courtesy the Artist. Photo: Carolina Bonfanti

San Francisco, CA – Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture (FMCAC) presents actions vent ascending frequencies, a participatory art installation and roller rink experience from the art platform assume vivid astro focus (avaf). The Artist-designed outdoor roller-skating rink will feature performances, DJ sets, and special programming from September 13 through October 6, 2019. The exhibition will be free and open to the public.

avaf’s reimagined roller rink, a 21^st-century social sculpture drawing on the optimism and democratic energy of disco-driven skate sites, makes its California premiere at FMCAC. The painting-like environment will blend psychedelia and color fields to create an iconic pop-up art installation.

"Roller skating brings people together," says Eli Sudbrack, founder of avaf. "Living in such polarizing times, it’s important that my practice helps unite people."

"actions vent ascending frequencies draws together images of liberation and an activity of freedom – skating – to create a new meeting space out of a parking lot," says Frank Smigiel, Director of Arts Programming and Partnerships at FMCAC. "I fully expect avaf’s intervention to transform our inert asphalt into something fabulous."

Originally presented with the Public Art Fund in New York City’s Central Park for the 2004 Whitney Biennial, the installation has more recently appeared Faena Art in Buenos Aires, Argentina (2014) and at Miami’s Art Basel (2015). In Addition to San Francisco, a new version of the project will open in Hamburg, Germany later this year.

Local roller-skating organizations the Church of 8 Wheels and Bay Area Derby are partnering with FMCAC to produce and operate the rink. Both organizations will provide rink hosts, DJs, and special programming throughout the run of the project. The Church will also provide rental skates, available to visitors for $5.

Tickets are complimentary and will be available for advance reservations at fortmason.org/skate beginning in mid-August. Skate rentals will be available for $5 and can be reserved online or in person. Due to anticipated demand, visitors are encouraged to make advance reservations.

actions vent ascending frequencies is presented by Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture in partnership with the Church of 8 Wheels and Bay Area Derby. For more information, please visit fortmason.org/skate

assume vivid astro focus was founded by Eli Sudbrack (b. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1968) in 2001. Sudbrack began working with Christophe Hamaide Pierson in 2005 as a duo that often morphs into a collective for select projects. avaf works in a vast array of media, including painting, drawing, installations, video, sculpture, neons, wallpaper, decals, and often confronts gender, politics, and embedded cultural codes through pop imagery and neon colors.

avaf has been the subject of major exhibitions and the innovator behind public art projects around the world. These include installations at MCA Santa Barbara (2016), Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati (2015); The Faena Art Center, Buenos Aires, Argentina (2014); Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), North Miami (2013); The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo, Norway (2009); São Paulo Bienal, São Paulo, Brazil (2008); Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York (2008); Museum of Contemporary Art (MOT), Tokyo, Japan (2007); 1st Athens Biennale, Athens, Greece (2007); The Geffen Contemporary (MoCA), Los Angeles (2005); The Whitney Biennial, New York (2004); among others.

A decommissioned military installation converted into a nonprofit cultural center in 1977, FMCAC has long been host to a lively mix of arts, educational, and cultural programming. Each year FMCAC provides more than $2 million in support to local arts organizations, enabling groups to produce diverse and innovative artworks at the historic waterfront campus. With a nearly four-decade history as an arts and culture destination, FMCAC engages audiences with art experiences resonant across our site and within the Bay Area’s arts ecology. We look to art works that create campus-wide opportunities for inquiry, wonder, and visual pleasure.

Visit fortmason.org for more information.

About the Church of 8 Wheels

An organization led by the "Godfather of Skate" David Miles Jr. and his partner Rose Miles, The Church of 8 Wheels has reimagined the former Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Fillmore and Fell as a regular destination for positivity, music, and community-building through skating. 

The Church will join in Roller Revival, celebrating the 40^th anniversary of roller skating in San Francisco, July 11-14. Visit churchof8wheels.com for more information.

Established in 2004, Bay Area Derby is a full contact, women’s flat track roller derby league located in Oakland, CA consisting of four home teams, two competitive travel teams, a recreational program, skating and non-skating officials, and many dedicated volunteers. Bay Area Derby is a fully volunteer-driven, skater-owned-and operated organization that gives back to the community that has supported it since 2004. Visit www.bayareaderby.com for more information.

Media contact:

Nick Kinsey, Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture (415) 345-7530, nick@fortmason.org